News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-07
A SOUTHERN STORY.
THE GENERAL WAS A GUNNER,
The Editor and the Man who was
Worried Over an Item.
from the n. Y. Evening Post.l

from the n. Y. Evening Post1
Among the many irons that have a
various times kept the General on activ,
duty was a newspaper once, of which he
was proprietor, but not editor. As pro
prietOr he held himself personally re
sponslble for all that went into its col
umns. This responsibility has assumed
very grave complexion on more thar
one occasion, notably in the case which
resulted IN the affair in question.
braggart of doubtful antecedents anC
more than doubtful record, took UNI,
bragg at something that appeared in the
paper for which the General stood spon-
sor. A vast volume of fire and smoke
(more of the latter, doubtless, than OF
the former) was kndled by this little
matter. The whole concern was threat
ened with humiliation, and the editor,
who was physically rather a meagre
specimen, trembled in his brown cloth
CATERS, or would have done so if the
General had not promptly and decisive
" taken the whole matter on his own
broad shoulders. The insulted party
breathed forth fiery threats of vengeance
with such vehemence that the Generals
friends besought him to be on his guard.
He laughed his cheeriest into their con-
cerned faces, but consented to burden
himself with pistol, which he carried
in his capaciQus hip pocket. He was
seen oftener than usual in the places
where his antagonist would most likely
be found, but without ever encountering
him. 1t was only through report tha5
he could tell whether or not the fires of
his wrath showed any signs of burning
themselves out. Report told him that
outraged virtue was still on the ''ram-
page" So long as that was the case,
the Generals hip pocket continued to
bulge out. He had begun to grow
bored with the whole affair, when, saun-
tering slowly by a pubic-house on one
of the main streets, he heard a note of
excited warning hurled into his ears
from a man on the opposite side of the
street, simultaneously with the whizzing
sound of bullet that passed through
the crown of his soft felt hat. With
the swiftness of an enraged tiger he
faced about in time to see the man who
had tried to shoot him in the back, leap
behind a sheltering tree-box that gave
him temporary advantage. The Gen
erals hip pocket no longer bulged. No
one could tell how he managed it, for it
WAS all done before the nearest loafer,
running at his greatest speed, could get
TO the spot. When he did get there, it
was to see the swaggerer prone on the
Sidewalk, where he was pinioned by one
Of the Generals substantial knees. His
loaded pistol was in his right hand He
had never touched the trigger. Patiently,
wordlessly, only showing his apprecia-
ton of the cowardliness of the attack
by his blazing eyes and short, quick
breathing, he held his would be-murder- |
err until a crowd had gathered about |
them; then he addressed him in a voice !
that trembled little from passion in
spite of him: ST could have killed you |
and you know it. You know you de-
serve it, too, for the earth would be rid |
of a cowardly scoundrel if did. I've |
kept you here to make you beg my par
don before all these people for every
thing you've said, and for what you tried
to do just now. After you've begged
before all these people that the para
graph you've been playing the bully
over was true to the minutest particular.
After you've done that, You can 60"
Lifting his conquered foe to his feet by
a firm grip on his collar, not without
shaking him slightly, very much as he
might have shaken puppy rescued
from drowning, he restored his own
weapon to his pocket, pulled his waist
coat carefully down over his portly per-
son, and calmly awaited the issue. 1t
was all that the most exacting could de-
mand in shape of an apology, at the
close Of which the General turned from
the gaping crowd with a contemptuous |
and walked rapidly home !
ward, anxious to reach his house in adj !
vance of any dsagreeable rumors. On
the way he met little crying child. 1t
was too young to convey any more in
formation than that it was lost. In his
great strong arms he lifted it up, and
holding it close to the breast that had
Just been heaving with the hottest pas
sions that can stir the human pulse, he
soothed its terror and told it to point
home. Following the tiny index finger,
he presently found himself once more
face to face with his foe as he reached
certain gate, through which the dust
begTImed and crestfallen man was hur-
rying with down-dropped head, and
hearing, so withdrawn from what was
passing around him, that the child in
the Generals arms hsped the name of
'father" several times in the eager Joy
of recognition before he raised his sullen
face to see his baby EMBODIED softly in
the arms that had Just closed with him
In strugge for life and death. 1t was
rather disagreeable surprise to the
General, who. not caring to prolong the
discomfort of the situation for the other
man, hastily put the child on its way
ward little feet and withdrew much more
precipitately than he would have done
perhaps if the muzzle of a pistol had
been again pointed at his back.